Comments (9)

It’s a good walk-through of setting up a VirtualBox guest. My only suggestion would be to up the resource requirements a bit. I found PC-BSD would function with 512MB of RAM in a VM, but not any less (at least with KDE running). And 10GB of disk space might be cutting it close. I got 8.1 running with 16GB. It might go lower, but I found the installer would refuse to go as low as 8GB.

For example: type in VM Name an OS Type’s entry field “PC-BSD” string and you’ll be presented with FreeBSD options; select then FreeBSD or FreeBSD x64 and then proceed as instructed. Why do you show us MS Windows XP? What for?

Similarly, do not show me the VBox screenshots with “what is”, but with “what I should select” or “how my selections should looks like”. I do not think a prospective PC-BSD user needs __empty__ Virtual Media Manager window.

Yes, I read your comprehensive suggestions and they are slowly being incorporated into the Handbook revamp. This is something that will take many months and the plan is to have it in very good shape in time to include with 9.0. Also, we’re using the wiki now, but once the content stabilizes a single/multi page HTML document will be published on the main website (similar to the FreeBSD Handbook) which will make navigation much, much easier. At the moment, the bulk of the content is still being addressed so it does not make sense to generate a copy for the website yet.

For the screenshots, we need to have a good idea of the Handbook’s audience and if it is more useful to see the default screens or what the screen should look like after configuration. Others, please leave comments on your thoughts.

Keep your suggestions coming. Also, feel free to pop into #pcbsd on Freenode if you wish to discuss certain points in more real-time.

1. If PC-BSD 9.0 is so important in terms of development of the BSD flavor, we the users, should be told first what PC-BSD would look like — do you still plan KDE only future releases or do you plan to release a basic set of PC-BSD subsystems (OpenBSD have “standard” set of system archives) plus PBIs with a few carefully selected biggest window systems — KDE, GNOME, and XFCE plus several smaller items in sort of BluxBox, IceWM, etc.?

This question is equally important to all users pondering whether to contribute in creation of PC-BSD Handbook(s) and other PC-BSD on-line documents. We need the right context to have something meaningful to say.

2. Please make the paragraph on screenshots, a main title for your next blog entry. To put it in short — up the question of the screenshot contents one level.

3. Would you mind defining #pcbsd hours, even with +/- 5 hr approximation and in zonal time? I live in Poland “in the center of the World” and Canada lies far from here, rather closer to the other hemisphere — 5–9 hours difference.

1. We definitely want to explore ways to get user input on what should go into 9.0. As a start, I’ll start a separate thread on the blog so people can start to comment and suggest ways to gather requests as well as ideas for scheduling interactive discussion sessions.

2. Will be the very next blog post

3. There are people on channel from all over the world, so pop in anytime. If noone appears to be around, stay on the channel for a while. Most of us are logged in 24/7 and respond to questions we’ve missed if the question asker is still around.

Ad.1. Do not seem to me to be reasonable. Most Linux Wish Lists degrade soon, after being put into existence, to Death Wish Lists — death to developers from mere overwork they suggest. But I will write on this problem, yes problem as far as PC-BSD is concerned, later — the problem of lack of clear goal. Mr Moore’s statements on PC-BSD forum (http://​forums​.pcbsd​.org/​s​h​o​w​t​h​r​e​a​d​.​p​h​p​?​t​=​1​3​297) prove my claim.

Ad.2. We understand each other, good.

Ad. 3. OK, thanks.

Ad. BTW. Nope. I’m not BSD expert or ardent “follower”, but I see a future for PC-BSD which I am not able to find in Linux world. More on that later, as I said in ad.1.